Ethereal Thoughts
by Ziur
Summary: Updated OneShot. Rated M for language. The inhabitants of Shigure's home go to visit the building Shigure supposedly works at. Kyo ends up learning more about himself than Shigure. KyoxTohru at end.


Back after about two years of inactivity. First and foremost, updating my old stories with improved grammar and spelling. Obviously I didn't get it all but it's still better than the previous version, although only slightly.

Anti-Ownership Mark 3: I don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: Kyo's POV throughout the whole thing. And I tried my best to capture his personality.

OoOoO

"…."

"Oh come now, Kyo. You haven't even been here for five minutes and you're already pouting. Try to enjoy it a little." Shigure asked as they walked down a long corridor along with Yuki and Tohru.

"Exactly why again are we here? I didn't even know you worked in a building like this!" Kyo retaliated.

"Well, see? All the more reason to come visit. I've come here everyday for work. Haven't you noticed?" inquired the supposed employee.

"Really? I could've sword you just sat on your lazy ass and slept all day in your office!"

"Do you really have to yell so loud? Your mere presence is enough to agitate me; your voice is just too much." Yuki said walking forward with his usual cool composer.

"What was that, you damn rat? It sounds like you want a fight!" Kyo yelled.

"Kyo…please calm down. Everyone's starring at us." Tohru stated with a soft tone.

"What are you talking about? There's no one he-" he was cut short as he looked around. They had somehow reached the center of a huge building without his noticing. And like the young girl had said, many of the employees had turned to see the commotion.

"See? Stupid cat." Yuki replied smugly as he walked past a flustered Kyo to the left side of the room.

The center area was circular and had ramps on either side going up to the next floor. Shigure caught up to Yuki and took the lead showing them where to go. Kyo and Tohru follow a little ways behind but not so far that they would get lost.

They were headed to an elevator when Tohru leaned a bit towards Kyo to whisper something to him. "Don't worry about back there. Ok?"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't realize we had walked in there. I didn't notice at all." Kyo replied.

"Yup, but be careful next time. I might not be able to come up with another excuse and you'll just end up getting beat up by Yuki again." Tohru said giggling as she boarded the elevator.

Kyo was left quite speechless at the remark and couldn't tell if he had even heard her right. He got on too but was still dumbfounded by what she had said. Was she serious? Did she really think that he wouldn't ever win? She was probably just joking around. But still, that was pretty harsh even for a joke.

The ding sounded as the elevator opened up to the fourth floor. Yuki and Shigure were talking about something but it sounded so distant that Kyo couldn't tell what it was about.

In front of them stood a ledge that looked over the three previous floors and hanging from a ledge above that one were ten thick ropes. There were a few employees climbing a few and others watching. There was also a lady standing next to the rope marked 'one' who stood out a bit.

Shigure walked over to this lady and greeted her. "Hello, Ryoko! And how are you today?" he inquired.

"Fine, fine. Is this your family?"

"Why yes, they are. This one's Yuki." He said stepping aside to show the young boy. "This lovely little flower is Tohru. And that's Kyo." He said pointing to Kyo.

"Oh, how nice. Well, you know the drill. Have a good day!" she replied beaming. It was almost a scary kind of beaming.

Shigure grabbed one of the ropes and began to climb up. Yuki and Tohru did so promptly afterwards.

"What are you guys doing?" Kyo asked very confused.

"Umm…we're climbing the rope to the next floor…" Tohru replied.

"Wasn't that kind of obvious you stupid cat?" Yuki pitched in.

"I don't need your smartass comments to everything I ask!" Kyo yelled again.

"Kyo…" Tohru looked at him in a disappointed manner. "I thought you were going to calm down…"

"…." Kyo walked over to a rope and toke a tight hold. Effortlessly hauling himself to the fifth floor he noticed all the plates and such said it was the sixth. "Hey, Shigure. What's up with the ropes and the fifth floor?" he asked.

"Funny story, actually. The construction crew had the plans all set and worked out…but they completely forgot to build the fifth floor. Well, with a missing floor the stairs didn't work out there and for some reason the elevator wont go above the forth." Shigure explained.

"That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Kyo complained.

"It seems perfectly normal to me. Accidents happen." Yuki said calmly.

"Yeah, Kyo. Now can you PLEASE stop yelling?" Tohru pleaded again.

"Yeah, whatever…"

XxXxX

Shigure led them up sever flights of stairs and around winding corridors. Although Kyo felt he couldn't go much farther, it seemed like no one else was having a problem with it. Maybe it was raining outside or something. Nah, he was fairly sure it didn't work like that.

The others had been continuing their discussion but Kyo ignored it. He didn't think there would've been much he could contribute even if he had cared.

"Ah, here we are. Room 47.8: Alpha." Shigure pointed out.

"What kind of room number is-" Kyo suddenly stopped his sentence as just by speaking he had earned himself the coldest stare he had ever seen Tohru give. "Never mind…" Geez, what was wrong with her today?

"Ahem, as I was saying. You all can wait here for a bit. And guess who's waiting insiiiiiiiiide." Shigure chimed as he opened the door.

Inside was a huge bluish gray room with a round table in the center. Around the table were five chairs: two together on one side, two together a little to the left of those, and a single chair on the other side of the table. On one of the pairs of chairs sat Hiro and Kisa eating some sweats and laughing with each other. They turned when they heard Shigure enter. Kyo could swear this was the first time he had ever seen Hiro with a genuine smile as opposed to a cocky smirk. Something was up and he didn't like it.

"Big sister!" Kisa exclaimed.

"Kisa!" Tohru ran to her and pulled Kisa in a hug that would put most bears to shame.

"Wow, you're right Shigure. This is quite the impressive bathroom." Yuki said.

"This is a bathroom?" Kyo wondered.

"Well, yeah. What does it look like? Are you some kind of idiot? Have you never been to a bathroom? What? Do you go in the woods? That very disgusting you know. Maybe you aren't civilized to use a bathroom. Are you a caveman?" Hiro questioned.

"Hiro…" everyone said in unison with the exception of Kyo. He was trying his best not to lose it. Whatever he had done to piss Tohru off, yelling at a small boy wasn't going to help.

"Well, I need to do something a few floors down. How about a snack, huh? Take a seat and I'll have someone bring you something sweet." And with that Shigure left out of sight.

Yuki and Tohru quickly took a seat in the other pair of chairs leaving Kyo to sit on the other side of the table…alone. A few minutes of useless conversations later a young lady walked in with some small cups filled with ice cream-like chocolate. She laid down four small cups for Kisa, Hiro, Yuki, and Tohru but lay a plate with a rather big slice of chocolate cake for Kyo.

He watched her leave and when he turned to face the others his eyes almost popped from their sockets. Yuki was feeding small bits of the chocolate to Tohru on a small spoon while Hiro and Kisa…holy shit they were locking lips. They were waaaay too young to be making out! Yuki and Tohru either didn't notice or didn't care but Kyo definitely could not even look in that direction. He turned his head, and more importantly his attention, to the slice of cake he had gotten.

He noticed how very large the slice was. What? Did they think he was some sort of fat ass? Wait…why the hell was he even thinking like that? Since when did he care about his weight? Kyo was becoming quite confused indeed. He shook his head a bit and turned back to the others in hopes that the younger Souma's had become a little more controlled.

Luckily for him, yes, they had. They were now just sitting there speaking as if nothing had just happened between them but Yuki and Tohru were slightly different. Yuki was still feeding her the chocolate but she was lying against his chest now…with her eyes closed…looking very relaxed. Not to mention Yuki seemed to be feeding her in a much more…sensual method.

That's it. He was gone. Kyo got up and left the room. This was just making his stomach sick. He noticed no one really cared that he had left. He was just going to go home. None of this was worth the aggravation.

XxXxX

Kyo walked down the stairs thinking to himself. It felt as he had only walked a single flight of stairs before he had reached the first floor. He kept walking down the hallway to the center area still thinking. There was something about that moment when he saw Yuki and Tohru. Hiro and Kisa was just plain disturbing and wrong in his mind but Yuki and Tohru…

His head was throbbing, he should get some water from a machine before leaving. He remembered one being in the main circular area so he'd just get one on his way out. As he reached it he noticed a familiar white/black headed freshman at the machine.

"What are you doing here? Shigure invite you too?" Kyo asked.

"No. I work here." Haru replied.

"What? Since when?"

"Shouldn't you be up with Tohru and the others?"

"How do you know about them?"

"Shigure told me about it. I figured he brought you guys here to give you some free time and privacy to you know, win over Tohru. Probably do whatever you want with her afterwards." Haru said casually as he took a sip of soda from the machine.

"What? You've got to be kidding me. Shigure wouldn't do something like that."

"Ok, for a second, be honest with yourself. Would you really put it past him?"

Kyo thought for a second before the obvious answer had come to mind. "Alright, suppose he did. Do you really think Tohru would just suddenly fall for the guy she's closest to and willingly give herself to him?"

"She would if he asked." Haru answered through his can.

"…."

"Heh, you know it's true."

"Fine, suppose she would. So what? It's not like I even care for the girl! And even if I did, why would she even consider picking me over the damn rat?"

"Valid question, but there's a better one."

Kyo eyed his younger cousin with curiosity and annoyance on his face. "And what would that be? Huh?"

"Even if she would pick the rat over you, wouldn't you still try just to find out?" Haru asked his face devoid of expression.

"What do you mean?" Kyo asked confused.

"Wouldn't you try and find out how she felt? Wouldn't you do everything to see that you were preferred over the rat?" Haru began to circle Kyo and the surrounding employees starred at him. Kyo felt as if he was on trial or something. "Wouldn't you try and win her over at least a bit? Knowing that she's the only one who ever accepted you, the only one who might ever care for you? Do you really not feel a single thread of affection for her?

"Well, of course but not so much that I'd try and go for her."

"Really? A second ago you 'didn't care for the girl'. Are you even sure about your feelings?"

"What the hell does it matter? And why the hell should I tell you?" Kyo shouted, now infuriated.

"Because, little Kyo, you know very well that she's the girl you desire. The girl you long for. Not because she's beautiful, not because you want to know what lies under her thin layers of clothing. But because…" Haru got close to Kyo's ear and let out the last words in a low whisper. "because you know that she can make your life worth living…make you smile…and right now…that damn rat is probably pounding away at her because you wouldn't admit it even to yourself…that you lo-"

"SHUT UP!" Kyo screamed pushing Haru away.

"You know it's true, boy. And what's worst, you're letting your sworn rival have her. The one thing you want most."

"SHUT UP! I SAID SHUT UP!"

"He's probably giving her the best time of her life by now."

"SHUT UP!"

"Pleasing her in ways that you will never be able to."

"GOD DAMMIT! STOP!"

"Taking away any chance of you ever being happy."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Kyo drowned it all out from there. He ran. He ran as fast as he could. Back up the stair he came from. He would go and see for himself. He wouldn't believe it unless he saw it. He ran covering his ears up a few flights of stairs before he ran into the ceiling.

"Arg! What the hell?" the stairs had cut off and led up to nothing.

"Umm, sir? The stairs don't go past floor four. You'll have to climb up the ropes in the center to keep going up." Said a nearby worker.

"What!? But I just came down from here! Arg! Whatever!" he ran back and up the center stairs to the fourth floor balcony where he saw the hanging ropes. He lunged at them and caught hold but when he tried to pull himself up he couldn't. His strength was gone, it was so easy the first time but now it felt so impossible. He kept slipping and couldn't quite get anywhere.

He wouldn't let himself be stopped by this. He couldn't. The image of Tohru in _his _arms was he could think of. He couldn't let that happen. He would press on. Putting every ounce of energy he got he moved up slightly. Little by little he made his way. Why in the world was this suddenly so hard? He pushed himself to go farther, to reach the top. He was almost there; he reached out for the top. His fingertips touched the edge, victory was near…but then Kyo saw another man there. Starring down at him like he had all of their lives with nothing but disgust on his face. Disgust for the cat.

"Well, Kyo. It seems you're little struggle for the girl is pointless. Did you know that?" Akito's cold words pierced Kyo easily, freezing him in place. He wasn't able to move, to breathe, to think. All he could do was listen, listen to the devil himself denounce everything Kyo struggled for. "Did you really think you could be happy, Kyo? Come now, you know better than that. Didn't I ever teach you anything?

Akito lowered himself to whisper in Kyo's ear the same way Haru did. "You must realize, as the cat, you will never be happy. I will always see to it." That being said, Akito released the knot keeping the rope up sending Kyo falling all the way to the center of the first floor. Kyo landed on his back with a loud thud and could barely move.

He could still see Akito up above with the same face of disgust being worn. "Pathetic." Was the last thing he heard Akito say before he walked away from sight. Everyone who had been watching went back to their usual duties and tasks.

After a while, Kyo managed to get up again. He staggered but he was able to move. He looked up once more before anger welled up inside him. "Screw this! I don't need her, I don't need lectures, and I don't need to be in this place." He mustered whatever ability to walk he had left and made his way out of the building. He had never felt so confused, so low, so utterly angry in his life. He just wanted to walk away from it now.

He took one last look at the square building behind him and was about to take off when he noticed something. In one of the windows high up was a figure, no, two. He recognized them easily when he focused him sight on them. Tohru was up against a wall-sized window, her shirt opened revealing her bra, her skirt lifted up showing her underwear. And behind her was Yuki, fondling her, slowly slipping a finger down her panties, breathing upon her neck lovingly.

Kyo's heart-rate was rising, he could hear a faint ringing in his head, his vision began to blur. Everything past what he was seeing no longer existed to him; he couldn't care less for the world and its trivial problems. He only knew his world was being taken from him, his world was in love with his rival. The ringing was getting louder and louder, his heart began to ache, his vision became so bad he couldn't tell what he was seeing anymore.

Then, for a split second, even though everything else was going wrong with him his sight became near perfect. He could clearly see Tohru's pleasured face and Yuki's behind her. He could've sworn, for that small fragment of time when he could see so well that Yuki looked back at him, smirking. Knowing that Kyo could see them. Knowing that he had finally taken all that Kyo had ever wanted.

The moment passed, his vision blurred once more, the ringing got louder. He did the only thing he could do to help ease it all.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

XxXxX

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Kyo shot up into a sitting position clutching his sweat-drenched forehead. His eyes felt like they could fly out of their sockets they were so wide. He looked around into the darkness of his room wondering if he could believe where he was. He grabbed his chest leaving small nail marks on it as he felt the extremely accelerated rate of his heart. He felt pain in his heart, horrible pain, and none of it hurt at all. A new pain to him, a pain he couldn't see. This was like what he felt with his mother, his master, his family and at the same time it was so very different and so very much worst.

Shigure broke down Kyo's door and barged in with a bat, Yuki came rushing in, flipped the light on, and set himself into a ready stance. Kyo turned to them still shaken up and was almost sure this was real. It took a curious looking Tohru peeking behind the door frame to tell him it was definitely real. He could just tell now.

Yuki dropped his guard and let out a sigh. "Wonderful, it was just the stupid cat having a bad dream. I'm going back to bed." Yuki left and returned to his own room to resume his sleep.

"Please, Kyo. The next time you have a nightmare, try not to scream." Shigure said lazily. He promptly returned to his room as well and quickly dozed off.

Kyo sat there thinking to himself, thinking about what he realized in his dream. A truth he wouldn't even admit to himself. He needed water.

"Kyo…?" a quiet yet caring voice called. Kyo look directly at her and even through the darkness he could see her worry. That look she gave him every time he needed it…and yet…

"I…I need some water…" he finally said getting up. He only had his khaki pants on but he didn't want to care about it at the moment.

"I-I can get it for you! How much do you want?" asked the young girl nervously.

"I'll get it myself! I don't need yo-" he stopped himself purposefully this time. He would be lying if he said he didn't need her. "I…I don't need you to bother yourself with me." Oh yeah…smooth.

He walked past her and downstairs into the kitchen. Alcohol would be soooo nice right about now. He could just drown away in it, forget this whole thing. Sadly, water was all he could get.

He leaned over the counter trying to organize his thoughts. It was official, he loved her. Great. And when she chooses Yuki over him then what will he have left? Nothing but more sorrow. Great.

_Even if she would pick the rat over you, wouldn't you still try just to find out?_

The thought danced around in his mind. He should. What's the point of waiting? It's either he gets hurt now or then. At least this way he can get it over with. He put the glass in the sink and went back upstairs. On his way to her room he realized someone was still in his. Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Kyo…"

"Yeah?" he replied rather coldly.

"Do you…want to talk about your nightmare? I can try and help…"

Too much kindness for her own good. Oh well, maybe that's why he loves her.

"No, it doesn't matter anymore."

"It seemed to have frightened you a lot."

"It doesn't matter. Hey, Tohru…"

"Hmm?"

Kyo sighed deeply. This was it. If everyone thought he fought bears for so long they'd never quit laughing if they knew how scared he was right now. "I have something important to tell you."

"Oh? W-What?"

Kyo took her hands in his did his beast to look her in the eyes. He hoped those cliché romance novels and stories weren't complete bullshit. He could see her blush. He could smell her wonderful scent. FOCUS DAMMIT! "Tohru…I think…I love you…"

XxXxX

Yuki walked out of his room and made his way downstairs. It was early and he was quite hungry and was wondering what Tohru would be making for breakfast. As he opened the screen door to the dinning room he noticed Tohru was there instead of Kyo. He also noticed she had her head hung low so her face wasn't visible. "Ms. Honda? Are you alright?"

"I've been trying to get her to show her pretty face for a while now but she won't give in. Kyo's acting the same." Shigure said.

"Really? Did that stupid cat do something to you Ms. Honda? Ms. Honda?"

"Told you. Kyo won't even turn his back from his cooking."

Yuki turned around and marched into the kitchen to confront Kyo. "Alright, Kyo. What did you do to Ms. Honda? Well?" Kyo kept stirring and completely ignored Yuki's attempts. So, Yuki forcefully turned him around by his shoulder. "Now you listen here. I don't know what your problem is but I won't let you hurt Ms. Honda! Now tell me what you did!" Yuki shouted.

Moments later a body went flying through the kitchen and dinning room doors and landing on the floor outside. Shigure sighed and looked over to the broken door leading outside. "Kyo, you really shouldn't…make…Yuki…mad?"

The body thrown outside moved a bit to reveal a purple headed youth with a very shocked face. Shigure, whose expression was no different, looked back over to the kitchen.

There, standing as tall as he could stand Kyo with a very serious face…which soon became a triumphant smirk.

"How…how did you…?" Yuki tried to ask.

"Heh! If I already beat you once, I figured I could do it again in a fight!" Kyo responded to the unfinished question.

"When…when did you ever beat me before?"

"Don't worry. You'll find out just what you lost soon enough." Kyo said with a different kind of confidence. He took a glance over a Tohru and she finally looked up at him. Her face was red as she stood and walked to the kitchen.

"I'll finish breakfast. Ok?" she said.

"Umm, sure." Kyo replied.

Tohru giggled a bit as she reached up to whisper something in Kyo's ear. "My, how a little kiss can change a person…"

"Quiet you!" Kyo said rustling her hair playfully. As she went off to finish breakfast, Kyo went outside to teach Yuki to get used to his new status as punching bag.

As Tohru cooked in an extra cheery mood and Kyo fought Yuki on more than even terms, Shigure couldn't help but wonder one thing. "So…who's paying for the doors again…?"

OoOoO

There ya go. One-shot. One-kill. Enjoy.

BTW: I put this under general but if there's a better column then please suggest it in a review or something, thx.


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